plate no. 1870

Back Garden

Prudence Heward, 1938

oilExpressionismlandscapehousesgardenfencevegetationskyhill

some experience helpful

Recreating this painting will help students develop skills in color mixing to achieve muted tones and practice layering brushstrokes to create texture and depth.

technical profile

palette complexity

brushwork visibility

value contrast

compositional simplicity

study guide

est. 8 hrs

approach — 8 steps

step 01
Sketch the basic shapes of the houses, fence, and garden, paying attention to perspective.
step 02
Block in the large areas of color for the sky, houses, and ground using diluted paint.
step 03
Begin layering colors on the houses, mixing tints and shades to create form.
step 04
Add details to the fence, using short, broken brushstrokes to suggest texture.
step 05
Work on the garden area, layering greens, yellows, and browns to create the impression of foliage.
step 06
Refine the details of the windows and doors on the houses.
step 07
Add highlights and shadows to enhance the three-dimensionality of the scene.
step 08
Make final adjustments to the colors and values to achieve a cohesive and expressive painting.

color palette

primary · red · blue · green · yellow

secondary · purple · brown · grey

Mix primary colors with white to create the muted tones for the houses and sky. Use earth tones to create the colors of the garden and fence.

techniques

·broken color
·scumbling
·color mixing
·layering
·impasto

common pitfalls

→Overmixing colors, resulting in muddy tones.
→Ignoring the perspective of the houses and fence.
→Applying paint too thinly, resulting in a weak and lifeless painting.
→Neglecting to add highlights and shadows, resulting in a flat and undimensional painting.